The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.Gomme, Alice Bertha
General
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.
Gomme, Alice Bertha
Folklore -- Great Britain; Games -- Great Britain
(3) Notwithstanding the injunction it is best _not_ to wind up
too _tight_.]
—Essex (Miss Dendy).
In the Essex game all the players join hands and form a long line. They
should stand in sizes, the tallest should be the first, and should
stand quite still. All the rest walk round this tallest one, singing—
Wind up the bush faggot, and wind it up tight,
Wind it all day and again at night,
to the first part of the tune given—that in three-eight time. This is to
be repeated until all the players are wound round the centre or tallest
player, in a tight coil. Then they all sing—
Stir up the dumplings, the pot boils over,
to the second part of the tune in 2-4 time. This is repeated, all
jumping simultaneously to the changed time, until there is a general
scrimmage, with shrieking and laughter, and a break up. The players
should look somewhat like a watch spring. [Illustration] As soon as the
last one is wound up, no matter in what part of the 3-8 time music they
may be, they leave off and begin to jump up and down, and sing to the
2-4 music.—Essex (Miss Dendy).
This game is called “Wind up the Watch” in Wolstanton, North
Staffordshire Potteries, and is played in the same manner. The words are
only, “Wind up the Watch,” and are said. When all the players are wound
up they begin to unwind, saying, “Unwind the Watch.”—Miss Bush. Called
“Wind up Jack” in Shropshire. It is the closing game of any playtime,
and was played before “breaking-up” at a boys’ school at Shrewsbury,
1850-56. The players form a line hand in hand, the tallest at one end,
who stands still; the rest walk round and round him or her, saying,
“Wind up Jack! Wind up Jack!” (or at Ellesmere, “Roll up the
tobacco-box”), till “Jack” is completely imprisoned. They then “jog up
and down,” crying, “A bundle o’ rags, a bundle o’ rags!”—Berrington,
Ellesmere (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 521).
In Scotland the game is known as “Row-chow-Tobacco;” a long chain of
boys hold each other by the hands: they have one standing steadily
at one of the extremities, who is called the _Pin_. Round him the
rest coil like a watch chain round the cylinder, till the act of
winding is completed. A clamorous noise succeeds, in which the cry
Row-chow-Tobacco prevails; after giving and receiving the
_fraternal hug_, they disperse, and afterwards renew the process.
In West of Scotland, it is Rowity-chow-o’-Tobacco, pronounced,
_rowity-chowity-bacco_, and as the first syllable of each word is
shouted, another hug or squeeze is given. The game is not so common as
formerly. The same game is played in West Cornwall by Sunday-school
children at their out-of-door treats, and is called “Roll Tobacco.”
It is known as “The Old Oak Tree” in Lincoln, Kelsey, and Winterton, and
is played in the same manner. When coiling round, the children sing—
Round and round the old oak tree:
I love the girls and the girls love me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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